Great Music, But Not Nearly Enough of ItGreat Music, But Not Nearly Enough of It

This is an excellent idea, and the app is beautifully designed and generally works well. However, given the vast quantity of truly excellent jazz that was recorded for the Blue Note label, it's kind of shocking that such a small amount is available here. And it's not just obscure albums by minor figures that are missing; there are classic recordings by great artists like Bud Powell, Horace Silver, Art Blakey, Lee Morgan, and many, many more that you won't find in this app, despite the fact that the albums are in print and are available on other streaming services. Ideally, the price of a subscription should include everything Blue Note ever put out; failing that, at least all the major recordings by major musicians should be included.
It is also very unfortunate that full musician credits aren't included for each track. When you're listening to an album by, say, Miles Davis, you often want to know who the piano player or the drummer is. On an app like this, you should not only be able to see that information, but jump to other Blue Note recordings featuring the same musician, whether as the leader or as a sideman. If that's too much to ask (and it really shouldn't be), then it should at least be possible to see a list of who's playing on each track, information about when and where each track was recorded, and maybe also the original liner notes for each album. Jazz fans really want this kind of information, and new listeners, in particular, need it in order to broaden and deepen their knowledge of the music. (And by the way, the "similar artists" feature is a nice idea, but the artists identified as similar to one another aren't always the most appropriate choices.)
Finally, the app doesn't exploit the beautiful cover art of the Blue Note albums as well as it could. It would greatly enhance the user experience if one could flip through a virtual record bin, with each album represented by a large image of the original cover, and it should be possible to sort the contents of the bin by artist's name, album title, date, etc. (This would also be one way to provide the liner notes, personnel info, etc.; you could tap the front cover image to see a facsimile of the back cover, where that information originally appeared.)
I guess the bottom line, for me, is that this is a brilliant idea and an excellent start, but the app needs a lot more work before it will even come close to realizing its full potential.

This is an excellent idea, and the app is beautifully designed and generally works well. However, given the vast quantity of truly excellent jazz that was recorded for the Blue Note label, it's kind of shocking that such a small amount is available here. And it's not just obscure albums by minor figures that are missing; there are classic recordings by great artists like Bud Powell, Horace Silver, Art Blakey, Lee Morgan, and many, many more that you won't find in this app, despite the fact that the albums are in print and are available on other streaming services. Ideally, the price of a subscription should include everything Blue Note ever put out; failing that, at least all the major recordings by major musicians should be included.
It is also very unfortunate that full musician credits aren't included for each track. When you're listening to an album by, say, Miles Davis, you often want to know who the piano player or the drummer is. On an app like this, you should not only be able to see that information, but jump to other Blue Note recordings featuring the same musician, whether as the leader or as a sideman. If that's too much to ask (and it really shouldn't be), then it should at least be possible to see a list of who's playing on each track, information about when and where each track was recorded, and maybe also the original liner notes for each album. Jazz fans really want this kind of information, and new listeners, in particular, need it in order to broaden and deepen their knowledge of the music. (And by the way, the "similar artists" feature is a nice idea, but the artists identified as similar to one another aren't always the most appropriate choices.)
Finally, the app doesn't exploit the beautiful cover art of the Blue Note albums as well as it could. It would greatly enhance the user experience if one could flip through a virtual record bin, with each album represented by a large image of the original cover, and it should be possible to sort the contents of the bin by artist's name, album title, date, etc. (This would also be one way to provide the liner notes, personnel info, etc.; you could tap the front cover image to see a facsimile of the back cover, where that information originally appeared.)
I guess the bottom line, for me, is that this is a brilliant idea and an excellent start, but the app needs a lot more work before it will even come close to realizing its full potential.

Ratings -

163

App History

Update v1.4.0->v1.4.1

over 4 years ago

Update v1.3.1->v1.4.0

over 4 years ago

Update v1.3.0->v1.3.1

almost 5 years ago

Update v1.2.1->v1.3.0

almost 5 years ago

Release

almost 5 years ago

Description

Experience the sights and sounds of the legendary Blue Note Records, through high quality streaming audio, iconic album covers, original session photos, live performance videos, articles from around the web, historic newspapers, and hand-crafted playlists. The app is perfect for both music lovers who want to learn more about the genre, and discerning jazz aficionados who want to dig deeper.

Download the app for free to explore a wealth of content and 30 second audio clips, and use an in-app purchase to activate your subscription, giving access to a deep catalog of full length songs by the greatest jazz musicians who ever lived, such as Wayne Shorter, Dexter Gordon, and Art Blakey. There is already over a hundred hours...

Experience the sights and sounds of the legendary Blue Note Records, through high quality streaming audio, iconic album covers, original session photos, live performance videos, articles from around the web, historic newspapers, and hand-crafted playlists. The app is perfect for both music lovers who want to learn more about the genre, and discerning jazz aficionados who want to dig deeper.

Download the app for free to explore a wealth of content and 30 second audio clips, and use an in-app purchase to activate your subscription, giving access to a deep catalog of full length songs by the greatest jazz musicians who ever lived, such as Wayne Shorter, Dexter Gordon, and Art Blakey. There is already over a hundred hours of music for subscribers to enjoy... you’ll see in the app that there is more to come and we are currently working with rights holders to bring you even more artists and tracks.

Each month Blue Note will highlight an album, artist, article, or a featured playlist compiled by musicians, journalists, and other jazz experts.

Apple TV owners will delight in the use of AirPlay mirroring and the slideshow feature. Continue to navigate through the app as an animated slideshow displays original session photos of the artist currently playing through your Apple TV.

Features include:• Access over a thousand songs right now• New music added monthly• Customizable playlists• Dedicate songs to Facebook friends • Join song discussions• Detailed liner notes and album info • Photo galleries and slideshow • Historic newspaper articles • ...and much more Blue Note by Groovebug offers a subscription music service. Buy your subscription with In-App Purchases for $1.99 (US)/£1.49 (UK) per month, renewing automatically within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period at the same rate.

Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the device's Settings after purchase. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication. Press Reviews:• Best Apps This Week - The Guardian• "A wonderful experience through the legendary jazz label's storied history" - Billboard• “We won’t lie: This app has us jazzed.” - MacWorld• “A nice combination of fun, learning, and listening, offering plenty in the free version, and a nice value in the premium version” - Evolver.fm• “It looks good, works great, and it delivers the quality of the music you might expect from Blue Note”- The Mac Observer• "Great for music lovers who want to learn more about jazz, as well as discerning aficionados who need to dig deeper" - Appolicious• "The app performs beautifully and is frankly a jazz geek's dream." - Mobiledia